Pescador Island
Philippines · Asia Pacific
A limestone pinnacle rising off the southwest coast of Cebu, Pescador Island packs an extraordinary range of marine life into a compact area. The sardine run — locally called the Sardine Ball or Bait Ball — draws thresher sharks, jacks, and barracuda into a choreographed feeding frenzy that can materialise at any depth from 5 to 30 metres. The island's walls drop to beyond 40 metres and are draped in sea fans and black coral, sheltering pygmy seahorses, frogfish, and ghost pipefish in their branches. Moray eels of several species occupy nearly every crack in the reef. Pescador is reachable in 20 minutes by banca from Moalboal, and the consistent current keeps the water clear and the plankton thick enough to support this concentration of life year-round.
How this reef is doing
ⓘ How we measure thisReef state
Live coral covers 20% of this reef.
Coral cover
Fish life
Heat
Fishing
Open to fishing, and the water is fairly quiet.
Sources · MERMAID and the survey teams · Global Fishing Watch and reef gravity
Coral cover over time
Live coral cover, by survey year
Across surveys in 2023 and 2024, live coral cover here has risen from 3% to 20%. Every point is a real survey reading, never a projection.
Live coral cover, percent by year
| Year | Coral cover |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 3% |
| 2024 | 20% |
What you will see
35 species across the dive sites here
Cleaner Wrasse
Seen 3 months ago
at South Drop
Least concern
Banded Coral Shrimp
Seen 3 months ago
at Cathedral Cave
Yellowfin Lionfish
Seen 3 months ago
at Cathedral Cave
Least concern
Sea Urchin
Seen 4 months ago
at Cathedral Cave
Barrel Sponge
Seen 6 months ago
at South Drop
Ghost Pipefish
Seen Dec 2024
at Sardine Wall
Least concern
Robust Ghost Pipefish
Seen Dec 2024
at South Drop
Least concern
Thresher Shark
Seen Sep 2024
at Sardine Wall
Endangered
Rainbow Runner
Seen Aug 2024
at Sardine Wall
Least concern
Big-eye Trevally
Seen year round
at North Pinnacle
Least concern
Bigeye Trevally
Seen year round
at Sardine Wall
Least concern
Black Coral
Seen year round
at Sardine Wall
Bumphead Parrotfish
Seen year round
at North Pinnacle
Vulnerable
Cleaner Shrimp
Seen year round
at South Drop
Feather Stars
Seen year round
at North Pinnacle
Fusiliers (mixed species)
Seen year round
at North Pinnacle
Giant Moray Eel
Seen year round
at Cathedral Cave
Least concern
Giant Trevally
Seen year round
at Sardine Wall
Least concern
Glassfish
Seen year round
at Cathedral Cave
Least concern
Groupers (mixed species)
Seen year round
at North Pinnacle
Leather Coral
Seen year round
at South Drop
Pygmy Seahorse
Seen year round
at Sardine Wall
Least concern
Red Sea Fan
Seen year round
at North Pinnacle
Sardine
Seen year round
at Sardine Wall
Near threatened
Scorpionfish
Seen year round
at Cathedral Cave
Sea Fan
Seen year round
at Sardine Wall
Trumpetfish
Seen year round
at Cathedral Cave
Whitemouth Moray Eel
Seen year round
at Cathedral Cave
Least concern
Barracuda (Great)
Seasonal visitor
at North Pinnacle
Least concern
Bluefin Trevally
Seasonal visitor
at Sardine Wall
Least concern
Flamboyant Cuttlefish
Seasonal visitor
at South Drop
Hairy Frogfish
Seasonal visitor
at South Drop
Least concern
Jacks (Giant Trevally)
Seasonal visitor
at North Pinnacle
Least concern
Jacks/Trevally
Seasonal visitor
at Cathedral Cave
Least concern
Silvertip Shark
Seasonal visitor
at Cathedral Cave
Vulnerable
Dive sites
Sardine Wall
sardine · thresher shark · giant trevally · rainbow runner
Cathedral Cave
glassfish · silvertip shark · giant moray eel · yellowfin lionfish
North Pinnacle
thresher shark · big-eye trevally · rainbow runner · bumphead parrotfish
South Drop
giant moray eel · cleaner wrasse · cleaner shrimp · hairy frogfish